Deutsche Flugsicherung, Deutsche Telekom and DLRG choose Microdrones® to jointly test the remote control and monitoring of drones

Four companies conducted a joint field trial at Horneburg near Hamburg this past weekend, on the shores of the river Elbe. During the trial simulation, it was shown how a child could be rescued using a specially equipped Microdrones md4-1000. The flight took place outside of the drone operator’s range of visibility, so the Microdrones UAV was equipped with a thermal imaging camera as well as a specially developed cellular radio module.

The module allowed the drone to be controlled remotely via Deutsche Telekom’s LTE network. Image and position data were transmitted in real time to the DLRG mission control center via cellular radio. A drone tracker jointly developed by DFS and Deutsche Telekom was used in the process. It is capable of representing the drone’s position in a recognized air picture.

The field trial is part of a research project launched in November 2016. The goal is the safe integration of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) in ground-level airspace via cellular radio. To this end, the partners developed what is referred to as a “hook-on device”, which is mounted on the drone. Weighing about 50 grams, this device contains a GPS module and a cellular radio transmitter unit, through which the position data is transmitted to the cellular radio network. A prototype for a UAS air traffic management system (UTM) that records the transmitted data and plots the drone’s position is also being developed. This would not only increase safety in uncontrolled airspace, but also enable flights at a greater distance outside the controller’s range of visibility, providing the basis for a wide range of future drone application scenarios.

“The Microdrones team was excited to be a part of this special project,” said Mirjam Braas, Marketing Manager for Microdrones in Europe. “The stable flight characteristics, resistance to wind, rain, cold, heat and dust make the Microdrones unmanned aircraft uniquely qualified for field work. Low RPM motors translate to increased battery life, which is critical for carrying special payloads such as that developed for this project.”

The project received extensive media coverage throughout Germany. For our German speaking friends, please enjoy the videos and news releases provided below:

The Microdrones team is always looking for new ways to solve real world challenges using an aerial perspective. Read more about the projects the company has done in the past to make the world a better place “one propeller spin at a time” here: https://www.Microdrones.com/en/team/mdcares/